Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it. ~ John 8:44

The US has rejected a joint request by Moscow and Damascus to let them evacuate the refugees stranded in the Rukban camp within the US-controlled zone in Syria to areas under Damascus' control, the Russian military said.

The first column of buses accompanied by Russian military police set off for the camp on Friday. They were supposed to enter through one of the two mobile checkpoints opened by the Russian and Syrian forces last month and ferry the refugees to other parts of Syria for permanent resettlement.

However, the planned operation was apparently aborted after the US military, which controls the 55km area around the US military base at Al-Tanf, which also includes Rukban camp, refused to grant permission for the buses to proceed, Sergey Solomatin, head of the Russian Center for Reconciliation of the Warring Parties in Syria, said on Saturday.

"Despite the successful completion of all preparatory work by the Syrian government to bring the refugees out of the Rukban camp and to the places of permanent resettlement, the US side has rejected the joint call" by Russia and Syria "asking them to let the transport columns into the Al-Tanf zone," Solomatin said.

Over 40,000 refugees, mainly women and children, are estimated to be living in the camp after being displaced by the years of the Syrian bloodshed. The refugees are said to be suffering from a shortage of adequate medical assistance and basic supplies.

It is not clear while the US military blocked access for the Russia-backed mission. Washington has repeatedly called on Moscow to facilitate the delivery of UN humanitarian aid to the Rukban camp, calling for Damascus to provide "rapid, safe and unhindered" access to the refugees.

"We urge that access for humanitarian assistance must continue to Rukban and to all areas in Syria where people are in need," the US State Department stated in February.

R ~ This is sick and reveals the guiding hand of both the IUS forces and ISIS which held civilians hostage whenever things were not going their way. In fact they shot refugees trying to get away from them. Is this your plan Mr. President? Hold the people hostage in order to maintain a presence without worrying about an enemy at your door who would gladly wipe out all and every American who stepped foot in their country illegally... not to mention the thousands dead, maimed and made destitute by those 'heroes'. These are nothing but low life thugs and pirates seizing passengers to avoid the grapeshot they so richly deserve.